The phrase notary fees is misleading, because most of the money never reaches the notary. Your total at the deed is made up of three blocks: the registration duty (a regional tax), the notary's honoraria (their regulated pay), and the disbursements (costs the notary advances for searches and paperwork). Only the second block is genuinely the notary's income.
The honoraria are set nationally by Royal Decree on a degressive scale, so the notary cannot charge more or less than the tariff, and the rate falls as the price climbs (Notaire.be, 2026). A 2023 reform reduced these honoraria for a buyer's sole and own home worth up to 850,000 euros, cutting roughly 10% off the sales-deed honoraria and about 20% off a credit deed, which saves an eligible buyer around 1,000 euros (Notaire.be, 2023). VAT of 21% applies to the honoraria.
The disbursements, or frais divers, cover the mortgage and planning searches, cadastral extracts, tax checks and administrative fees the notary pays out on your behalf; budget 800 to 1,500 euros (ImmoAnalyse, 2026). If you take out a loan, a separate mortgage deed adds roughly 4,000 to 6,000 euros, largely the 1% mortgage registration duty plus the credit-deed honoraria (ImmoAnalyse, 2026).
The counter-intuitive takeaway: choosing a different notary will not change your bill, because the honoraria and the tax are identical everywhere in Belgium. Where a good notary adds value is in speed, clarity and catching a planning or mortgage issue before it becomes your problem.
At a glance
| Price bracket | Honorarium rate (before 21% VAT) |
|---|---|
| Up to 7,500 euros | 4.56% |
| 7,500 to 17,500 euros | 2.85% |
| 17,500 to 30,000 euros | 2.28% |
| 30,000 to 45,495 euros | 1.71% |
| 45,495 to 64,095 euros | 1.14% |
| 64,095 to 250,095 euros | 0.57% |
| Above 250,095 euros | 0.057% |
Scale fixed by Royal Decree (ImmoAnalyse, 2026); reduced honoraria for a sole own home up to 850,000 euros since 2023 (Notaire.be, 2023). Add disbursements of 800 to 1,500 euros and, if borrowing, a mortgage deed of 4,000 to 6,000 euros.